Construction has begun at Moda Living’s Sackville Road regeneration project, which will deliver a thriving intergenerational neighbourhood of more than 800 state of the art homes in the heart of Hove.

The project at the Sackville Road Trading Estate is set to deliver 564 high-quality build-to-rent homes and 260 care community homes, as well as extensive public gardens and a main boulevard leading to a large public square, office accommodation, workspaces, shops and cafes.

The nine-acre brownfield site is on the former trading estate which is conveniently located next to Hove Station and is just a few minutes’ walk from the seafront. Funding for the site purchase was provided by Apache Capital Partners.

Midgard has been appointed lead contractor on the project, with completion targeted for early 2024.

The construction phase of the project is set to create more than 560 jobs, with many workers at the site based in the local and surrounding area.

Moda Living, the UK’s leading family-owned developer and operator of build-to-rent homes, designed the neighbourhood with an intergenerational focus, an emphasis on public amenity spaces and social infrastructure for residents and the wider community.

The neighbourhood will offer a variety of homes ideal for families and individuals with secure long-term tenancies for up to three years, helping to address the area’s housing shortage.

Approximately 70% of the site will be curated into new public spaces, including landscaped areas and an abundance of green space with newly planted trees and gardens.

The plans also include communal lounges for events and wellbeing workshops, private dining areas, restaurants, shops, 50,000 sq ft of office and co-working space, and five communal roof terraces.

As part of its commitment to the area, Moda Living has signed the largest planning contributions deal Hove has seen from a private company in more than a decade. The business will contribute more than £10 million to local investment in infrastructure, public realm, education, public art and supporting the local community.

Additionally, 10% of the 564 rental homes have been allocated as affordable housing.

Following a formal event attended by officials including Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle, Moda celebrated the occasion with a community barbeque in Hove Park. More than 70 local residents of all ages enjoyed an afternoon of delicious food and drink with live entertainment, all provided by local businesses and artists.

James Blakey, Planning Director at Moda, said:

“We are thrilled that construction work has begun on this regeneration project to transform a rundown brownfield site in Hove into a multi-generational community, providing high quality rental homes and hundreds of jobs, both during construction and on completion. We are also excited to integrate Moda Living into Hove’s vibrant wider community and are looking forward to investing £10m into local projects spanning education, public realm, employment, sport, public art and green spaces.”

Sean O’Driscoll, Operations Director at Midgard, said:

“We’ve been working with the Moda team on the project for several months and we’re excited to have reached the stage where construction works are finally commencing. We’re looking forward to working closely with all stakeholders to deliver a successful project.”

John Dunkerley, CEO and co-founder of Apache Capital Partners, said:

“Our Hove site with Moda is one of our largest and most ambitious projects to date, and the construction phase will create local jobs and ultimately see this former brownfield site turned into a modern, intergenerational community replete with amenities that is underpinned by high-quality homes for rent. Institutional capital wanting to access resilient, long-term income streams to match their liabilities continues to be attracted to the UK build-to-rent sector as it is structurally supported by long-term demographic growth drivers and a demand-supply imbalance, with a lack of high quality, professionally managed, purpose-built properties set against a growing number of privately renting households and an ageing population.”

Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle said:

“Whenever I walk around Hove, I look at the beautiful Regency architecture we are fortunate to have, and I say thank you to the people who built it all those years ago. I want any new development in Hove to be something that people will say thank you for, long after we’re gone. That’s exactly what we have with Moda’s redevelopment of the Sackville Road Trading Estate.”

Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council Phélim Mac Cafferty said:

“Sackville Trading Estate was identified as a key site for development in our City Plan to help address the city’s chronic housing shortage. This development will bring this largely underused and derelict land back into use to provide hundreds of new homes as well as jobs, community facilities and public gardens.”